Semua Bab Mated In Disguise: Bab 21 - Bab 27

By the time Rian made it back to the dormitory tower, her muscles were screaming, and her head throbbed with the aftermath of restraint. Every step across the courtyard had felt like dragging iron weights behind her. But when she reached the door of the shared dorm room and stepped inside, relief washed over her in a cool wave.Kael wasn’t there.Rian let the door close softly behind her, allowing her shoulders to sag for the first time all day. The quiet hum of the room’s enchantments—the faint pulsing of magic in the walls, the rustle of curtains swaying in the window’s breeze—was the only sound that greeted her.No footsteps. No questions. No golden eyes watching her too closely.She dropped her backpack by the couch and sank into the farthest cushion, bracing her elbows on her knees and burying her face in her hands. Just a minute. Just one damn minute to breathe.Combat had pushed her body. Shifting had nearly shattered her secret.She couldn’t keep dodging forever.You’re walkin

The cold stone wall pressed against Rian’s back as she ducked into one of the less traveled corridors flanking the courtyard. Her breath still caught in her throat, shallow and uneven, even as the distant voices of her taunters faded into nothing. The ranking board, the bruises, the sneers—they still clung to her like a second skin. She needed distance. Silence.This part of the Academy felt older, the stone walls darker, the light dimmer. Ivy curled around the high windows, and the scent of aged parchment and dust hung in the air. It was the kind of place others ignored—a tucked-away wing once used for auxiliary classes, maybe. Forgotten, quiet.Rian let herself exhale fully for the first time since the confrontation. Her shoulders sagged slightly, the ache from combat class making itself known again in pulses. She moved down the corridor, steps echoing slightly on the polished flagstone. Her mind spun, trying to claw back composure, trying to stop the words of the others from echoin

The quiet of the dorm room was broken only by the soft creak of the door opening. Rian looked up from where she sat cross-legged on her bed, her fingers idly tracing the frayed edge of her training shirt.Kael stood in the doorway, a faint shadow in the dim light filtering through the curtains. His expression was unreadable, but there was a flicker of something softer than usual in his eyes.“I want to spar,” he said bluntly.Rian blinked, caught off guard. “You... want to spar? Here?”Kael stepped inside, closing the door behind him with a deliberate click. “Not here. Out on the training grounds. Thought it might help. You need practice. And I want to see how much you’ve really got.”Rian rose, tension tightening her shoulders. She nodded, knowing she couldn’t refuse. An elite heir like Kael didn’t ask for a sparring match out of casual interest. This was a test, a challenge—and maybe even a rare gesture of... guidance.They stepped out into the hallway, footsteps echoing softly. Kae